One of the main goals for genealogists in searching historic newspapers is to find obituaries. Obituaries are a gold mine of information. They provide death dates and locations, funeral and cemetery information, and sometimes more importantly – information about the relatives of the deceased’s family and extended family. This family name information is often not found anywhere else.
Over the past few decades, thanks to volunteers, librarians, and archivists, a great number of indexes to death information and obituaries from newspapers have been provided for free online. These searchable indexes or index lists provide the location in old newspapers where the obituary can be found. Sometimes the obituary clipping or transcription is even provided.
Below is a list of links to California obituary indexes, an alternative means to newspaper searching to find obituary information. If the newspaper clippings are available, or if the obituaries are transcribed, they will be denoted. Please be aware that if you find a desired obituary in an index, that the holder of the actual obituary (e.g., library or genealogical society) may charge a small fee to send you a copy of the obituary itself.
(Updated October 2021; recently added links are in BOLD)
General U.S.
- Currentobituary.com index, 2001-2014
- Obituary Daily Times Index, 1995-2016
- U.S., Selected Jewish Obituaries, 1948-2002
- United Methodist Church Annual Conference Journal Memoirs and Obituary Index
- United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014
- United States, Obituaries, American Historical Society of Germans from Russia, 1899-2012
California
- Alameda County -Tri-Valley Newspapers Obituary Index
- Alameda County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Bay Area Reporter Deaths and Obituaries (clippings)
- Berkeley Daily Gazette Obituary Index
- Butte County Death and Obituary Index 1854-1897
- Butte County Newspaper Articles Transcriptions, 1883-1899
- Butte County Obituaries and Indexes
- Butte County Obituary index
- Butte County Obituary Index, 1963-1990 (clippings)
- Calaveras County, Newspaper File Index, 1860-1950
- Calaveras County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- California GenealogyBuff Obituary Files
- California Genealogy and History Archives, Obituaries (transcriptions)
- California Obituaries – Obit City
- California USGenWeb Obituary Project
- California, Berkeley Public Library Obituary Index, 1894-1979
- Chico, Funeral records, 1896-1992 (clippings)
- Clovis, Fresno Bee Obituary index 1982-1987 (clippings)
- Colusa County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Contra Costa County Obituary Index
- Early Livermore Death and Obituary Indexes
- Eastern Alameda County Death and Obituary Indexes
- Fillmore, Ventura County Death and Obituary Index
- Fresno and Napa Counties, Obituary Index, 1974-1997
- Fresno Bee Obituary Index 1982-1987 (clippings)
- Fresno Bee Obituary index, ca. 1980’s – early 1990’s (clippings)
- Fresno County, Obituary Notices, 1885-2000 (clippings)
- Hemet–San Jacinto Obituary Index
- Humboldt County, Iaqua Cemetery (transcriptions)
- Kern County Obituaries
- Kern County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Kern Valley Sun Newspaper Obituaries 1969-1993 (clippings)
- Kern Valley Sun Obituaries (clippings)
- Kings County Obituary Index
- LA Times Obituary Index
- Lake County Newspapers Index of births, marriages and Deaths 1863-1949
- Lake County Obituaries (short transcriptions)
- Lake County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Livermore Area, Tri-Valley Obituaries
- Lassen County Obituary Index
- Long Beach Deaths and Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Los Altos Obituary Index
- Los Angeles County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Los Angeles County, Obituaries, 1999-2011 (clippings)
- Los Angeles Public Library Death and Obituary Index
- Los Gatos Deaths and Obituaries (clippings)
- Madera, Fresno Bee Obituary index 1982-1987 (clippings)
- Marin County Obituaries
- Mariposa County Deaths and Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Mendocino County Obituaries (clippings)
- Modesto Bee Obituaries, 2005-2007 (clippings)
- Modoc County Obituary Index
- Monterey County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Monterey County Obituary Index
- Mountain View Obituary Index
- Napa and Butte Counties, Obituaries, 1866-1992 (clippings)
- Napa Register Obituaries, 1974-1983 (clippings)
- Nevada County Obituary Index
- Oakland Deaths and Obituaries Collection 1985-2011 (clippings)
- Oakland Family History Center Obituary collection, 1980-2011 (clippings)
- Ontario City Library Newspaper and Obituary Index
- Orange County Obituaries and Indexes
- Oroville, Funeral information files, 1967-1992 (clippings)
- Palmdale Death and Obituary Index
- Palo Alto Obituary Index
- Paradise Obituary Index, 1902-1967 (clippings)
- Pasadena Obituary Index
- Placer County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Placer Herald Newspaper and Obituary Index
- Pleasanton Times Obituary Index 1928-1934
- Plumas County Obituary Indexes
- Riverside, Press-Enterprise Newspaper Obituaries 2003-2007 (clippings)
- Sacramento, Bee/Union Newspaper Index, 1906-1937
- Sacramento County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Sacramento County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- San Bernardino County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- San Diego County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- San Diego County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- San Diego County Obituary Indexes
- San Diego Union and San Diego Herald Obituary Index
- San Diego Obituary Index
- San Fernando Valley Death and Obituary Indexes
- San Francisco and Stockton, J.S. Godeau funeral records, 1894-1931 (clippings)
- San Francisco Area Funeral Home Records, 1835-1979 (clippings)
- San Francisco County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- San Francisco Obituaries (transcriptions)
- San Francisco, Gantner Bros. funeral records, 1906-1921 (clippings)
- San Francisco, H. F. Suhr & Co. funeral records, 1902-1921 (clippings)
- San Francisco, N. Gray and Company funeral records, 1850-1921 (clippings)
- San Francisco, W.P. Petersen & Co. funeral records, 1906-1916 (clippings)
- San Jacinto Genealogical Society Obituary Index
- San Joaquin, County Public Library Obituary Index, 1850-1991 (clippings)
- San Joaquin County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- San Luis Obispo County Death notices, Obituaries and Articles : 1888-1903 (transcriptions)
- San Luis Obispo County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- San Luis Obispo County Obituary Indexes
- San Mateo County Death and Obituary Indexes, 1853-1948
- San Mateo County Obituary Indexes
- Sanger, Fresno Bee Obituary index (clippings)
- Santa Barbara County Obituaries
- Santa Barbara Newspaper Extracts Index, 1868-1880
- Santa Clara County, Evening News, Morning Times, Mercury News, and Daily Herald Newspapers Obituary Index 1877-1901
- Santa Clara County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Santa Cruz County Newspaper Indexes
- Santa Cruz County, Births & Deaths Newspaper Index 1856-1919
- Santa Cruz Evening News, Local News Index 1919-1941
- Selma, Fresno Bee Obituary index 1982-1987 (clippings)
- Shasta County Death and Obituary Index (transcriptions)
- Shasta County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Siskiyou County Obituary Indexes
- Stanislaus County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Tehama County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Thousand Oaks Local News Index
- Torrance, Funeral records, 1950-1980 (clippings)
- Tulare County Obituary Index
- Tulare County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Tulare County Obituary Index
- Ventura County Death and Obituary Indexes
- Ventura County Obituary Indexes
- Ventura County Obituary Index
- Ventura County, California, Obituary Index, 1916-1996
- Willows Obituaries, 1966-1991 (clippings)
- Yolo County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Yolo County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Yolo County Obituaries from Newspapers 2003-2004 (transcriptions)
- Yuba County Obituaries (transcriptions)
- Yucaipa Valley Death and Obituary Index
If you wish to search this state’s historic newspapers for obituaries, click on California Online Historical Newspapers Summary
Good Luck and Happy Hunting!
For other Free California Links, click on the category of interest:
Newspapers
Obituaries
BMD Records
Photos
Yearbooks
Directories
Divorce Records
Naturalizations
Church Records
School Records
Coroner Records
Voter Records
Probate and Wills
Immigration
Mortuary Records
Alumni Records
Cemetery Records
